The present invention relates to cold beverage merchandisers and more particularly to a forced cold air circulation, continuously defogged, cold beverage merchandiser.
Increasing labor costs, among other factors, have prompted beverage retailers to use refrigerated storage equipment that permits the customers to serve themselves rather than requiring store personnel to remove the beverages from the storage equipment. Such equipment for storing canned or bottled beverages has become a tool for marketing or merchandising same. Thus, equipment for storing beverages emphasizes advertising and display of the containers to the customer
Soft drinks, beer, wine coolers, etc. have been marketed for sale in six-packs containing six individual single serving containers, having 12 or 16 fluid ounces for example. The consumer would select a six-pack and bring it home for storage in the refrigerator prior to consumption. Refrigerated cabinets for merchandising six-packs typically have horizontal shelves and an evaporator disposed in the upper rear portion of the cabinet. The flow of cold air typically is directed by a fan downwardly from the evaporator along the rear wall of the cabinet to the bottom of the cabinet, frontwardly along the bottom of the cabinet to the front glass panels of the cabinet, then upwardly along the front glass panels of the cabinet to the top of the cabinet, and rearwardly along the top of the cabinet to the evaporator. A rectangular box housed an elongated fluorescent bulb used to light an advertising display at the front top of some of these 6-pack cabinets. In these 6-pack cabinets with lighted advertising displays, the width of the evaporator extended approximately the width of the cabinet, and the height of the evaporator extended in a direction parallel to the height of the cabinet. In these lighted advertising display cabinets, the depth of the evaporator was the smallest dimension of these evaporators and extended in a direction parallel to the depth of the cabinet. However, in cabinets lacking such lighted displays, the height of the evaporator was the smallest dimension and extended in a direction parallel to the height (measured from top to bottom) of the cabinet.
One problem that occurs with self-service beverage merchandisers is the tendency of the transparent viewing surface to fog with condensation forming thereon. The problem of fogging viewing surfaces has been counteracted in a number of ways, including the establishment of a flow of warm air over the glass panels forming the viewing surface. The relative effectiveness of designs for establishing this flow of warm air depends upon various factors such as whether the transparent surface is stationary or forms part of a door or cover giving access to the interior of the refrigerated space. Other factors involve whether the viewing surface has a single pane or is a multi-pane window. Still other factors pertain to the shape of the transparent surface, the location of the transparent surface relative to other surfaces, and the manner in which the transparent surface may be moved or manipulated by the customer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,462,966 to Reid et al (assigned to a subsidiary of the assignee of the present application) discloses a way of removing condensation forming on the inner surface of a glass panel of a refrigerator door when the door is opened. This refrigerated cabinet has a pair of door panels. Each door has a tubular frame 32 around the perimeter of a glass panel 34. The door panels are hingedly mounted on the front edge portion 14 of the cabinet. A condenser coil assembly 54 is mounted within a non-refrigerated space below the refrigerated space and insulated therefrom. A condenser fan 56 is also mounted within the non-refrigerated space rearwardly of the condenser coil. Centrally mounted within the non-refrigerated space at the forward end is an air scoop device 78 provided with a dimensionally enlarged inlet end aligned with the condenser coil assembly 54 and close thereto to converge forwardly from the inlet to an outlet end positioned just below the forward edge portion of the wall 28 which partitions the refrigerated space from the non-refrigerated space. The air flow is induced to pass between the coils of the condenser coil assembly for heat exchange purposes that results in the discharge of heated air through a front grill 16 which extends horizontally across the lower front portion of the cabinet and is removably mounted thereon. A deflecting portion 96 of the grill work behind front grill 16 cooperates with scoop device 78 and duct forming members 98 to laterally distribute the air flowing upwardly from an opening in the grill. Thus, the front grill discharges warm air vertically in an upward direction to form a warm air curtain in front of the access opening closed by the door panels. The access opening to the refrigerated space is formed in a plane with which the front edge portions of the cabinet walls are aligned. Magnetic strips within peripheral sealing elements or strips are mounted on the tubular frame of each door panel for contact with the forward edge portions of the side walls, the partition wall 28 separating the refrigerated cabinet from the non-refrigerated cabinet, and the top wall. The magnetic strips cooperate with the magnetic inserts to hold the door panels closed. The door panels are disposed externally of the cabinet rather than being recessed in the edge portions of the cabinet walls as in prior constructions. This prevents the door panels from being directly exposed to the cold zone of the refrigerated space. The door panels also extend downwardly beyond the refrigerated space and overlap the front edge portion of the wall 28 which separates the refrigerated space from the non-refrigerated space. Thus, the air rising from the front grill immediately contacts the tubular frames of the door panel assemblies. When the door panel assemblies are opened, the upward air flow forms an air curtain or barrier between the atmosphere and the refrigerated space, this air curtain being more effective in defogging the door panels because of the panel mounting externally of the cabinet.
In order to assure adequate defogging, warm air must be provided to the transparent panel on a continuous basis. Thus, the compressor fan is operated continuously, rather than only when the compressor is operating in its refrigeration cycle. This reduces the efficiency of the refrigeration equipment. Moreover, the location of the condenser and compressor fan near the floor results in the transfer of dust and dirt into the condenser when the compressor fan operates. Continuous operation of the compressor fan provides a continuous flow of dust and dirt into the condenser. Periodic removal of such extraneous matter from the condenser is required to maintain the efficiency of the condenser and compressor operation at acceptable levels.
As shown in FIG. 5 of Reid et al, diagonally disposed side struts (unnumbered) are used to bear the load of the cabinet and transfer it to the base panel, which is supported by the cabinet legs that bear the entire weight of the cabinet. The attachment of the triangular struts to the base panel results in structural stresses that are borne by the 0.075 inch thickness (14 gauge) of the base panel. In washing machine cabinets for example, load bearing diagonally disposed struts mount upon and transfer the weight of the machine directly to the central shaft of the legs of the washing machine cabinet.
With the advent of the "fast food" society, the merchandising of canned and bottled beverages has shifted from six-packs to individual containers, which are immediately consumed by the purchaser. This has imposed additional performance requirements upon the refrigerated merchandising equipment that stores and displays these individual containers. Such equipment must effect the quickest possible cooling of the containers that are "next-to-be-purchased." These are the cans, cartons, and bottles disposed at the very front of the shelves, nearest the access opening of the cabinet. Moreover, the increased cooling requirement for this next-to-be-purchased product may result in increased temperature differentials between the interior of the refrigerated cabinet and the exterior atmosphere at the location of the glass viewing panels in the cabinet doors. Such greater temperature differentials render the defogging of these door windows more difficult to accomplish.